re: What do you consider middle class?

120k for a family of 4 in most major population centers is squarely middle class.

120k in the middle of nowhere is probably doing well

This thread is eye opening.

Family of four here. Income is $125k/year (with some excellent built in benefits of being two teachers). Birmingham, AL suburbs.

According to the stats, we’re upper middle class.

Certainly doesn’t feel that way.

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Life's never been easier, the middle class has access to things that put luxury in the hands of every day man.

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I agree that quality of life is higher, I disagree that life has never been easier.

My father was a department manager at Macy’s in the late 80s and purchased a house with 20% down at 27 years old. My mother stayed home with me at the time.

I could do that too with my wife working if I bought a crack house.

Housing market, college savings for children (not to mention childcare expenses for the now career-minded mothers), and retirement planning are all more difficult than ever before for the middle class.

Let’s assume that “middle class” means affordable transportation, 1-2 travel vacations per year, a 3-4 bedroom home in a safe neighborhood, good health insurance, and decent albeit slow contributions to savings.

That depends on the area. In Chicago, a careful family would probably require a steady $125k per year. In Baton Rouge, you could probably get away with $110k/ year. In San Francisco, you would struggle with $165k per year.

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Democrats

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gross

Why do these threads always attract the Anecdote Andys of the world to white knight for the rich and giant corporations?

It is possible for you personally to be doing well and to simultaneously acknowledge that workers as a whole are getting fricked given that productivity has been steadily rising for decades and wages have stagnated.

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Republicans look out for the rich.

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I think they have shifted in the past decade towards focusing on the working and middle class. They had to if they wanted to win elections in the Midwest.

The Trump tax cuts were a net positive for us, and I consider myself middle class. That little bump went towards a much needed vacation, where we spent on flights, hotels, shopping, restaurants, etc. That helped stimulate the economy and secure employment for people that worked at all of those businesses.

Perhaps more importantly, companies and manufacturers that were on the fence about hiring or a major cap ex project are pulling the trigger. So it’s good for our long term business and for the employees of those firms as evident by the very low unemployment rate.

Interestingly enough, tax revenue didn’t actually decrease after those tax cuts. It put our corporate tax rate more in line with our competitors and we are better for it. It appears to have been the right thing to do although I concede that stumping for middle class people and their employers isn’t as popular among young people.

You do make a good point about pensions.
Virtually every private company, who would have to pay, has eliminated pensions due to the extreme burden it places on a company for nonworking people.
Only government workers, because unlimited use of tax money coupled with politicians too afraid to really end them, get pensions.
Thanks to 50 year old retired government workers, our taxes will be paying for these flunkies for decades

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I consider myself middle class (just under $250k gross, no inherited wealth, etc.).

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That is solidly upper class. You are in the 90th plus percentile of income.